The African diaspora describes the black community and those of African descent outside of Africa, across the rest of the world.
You may have heard people lovingly refer to Africa as “the motherland” and rightfully so, the beautiful continent *not country* has birthed many a melanin soul living far and wide from its terra-cotta grounds. Africa has a population of 1.2 billion people and the African diaspora has a population of 140 million people.
The majority of this dispersal was caused by the Atlantic (estimated 11 million Africans) and Arab ( estimated 10-80 million Africans) slave trades that occurred throughout the 15th and 19th centuries.
The Atlantic slave trade took Africans mostly from Western countries like Ghana and Nigeria and Central countries like Congo and Cameroon, and took them to Central America, South America and the Caribbean.
Despite the common belief that most slaves went to America, only 5% actually did while the other 95% went to Central America, South America and the Caribbean. The most populated countries in the African diaspora include Brazil, Colombia, America, Dominican Republic, and Haiti.
The rest of the diaspora accounts for refugees who flee war torn countries, those wishing to attain a better life in 1st world countries, and those who simply like to travel or have personal reasons.
Many Africans, and immigrants in general, are familiar with the “ American Dream,” which sports colorful themes of freedom, power, rights, health, safety, indulgence, leisure and so much more that are often luxuries or simply unattainable in their own countries.
As much as those in the diaspora gain from their countries and what their different cultures have to offer, they bring their own individual benefits and continue to pass their African heritage and cultures along.
News media outlets provide great exposure to how much those in the African diaspora impact and possibly redefine the culture of places they now live in. For example, the coverage of the 2018 FIFA World Cup created a lot of buzz around the irony of France’s team which consisted of almost all African descendants. Similarly, American football and basketball teams are known to be made up of mostly black athletes and many of these teams actually scout for talent in Africa.
In the music world, genres like Hip-Hop, R&B, Trap, Rap, Jazz, Reggae, Rumba, and the Blues are largely influenced by traditional African music. Afrobeat and Afro-Pop music are enjoyed worldwide even from people of different cultures.
It is important to specify that all members of the African diaspora do not share the same experiences. Some have a close connection with their heritage while others are largely removed from it and don't know which country and tribe they originate from.
I am very happy to be a 1st generation American, meaning that I was born outside of the U.S, in Kenya, and have been raised in the U.S. I am Kenyan-American and the way I see it, I get the best of both worlds.
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